BATON ROUGE - The LSU Soccer team (7-3-1, 2-1-0 SEC) defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-3-2, 1-2-0 SEC) in their SEC home opener by a score of 2-1 inside the LSU Soccer Stadium on Sunday night.

"I'm ecstatic. I think anytime you can win two games in a row in the SEC, you have to walk away feeling really good about it," said LSU Head Coach Sian Hudson. "We used a lot of players tonight and had great minutes coming off the bench. Kelsey Major played a huge role in creating the goal for Sage Glover. Overall, I'm just really proud of the team."

"We had two very different wins this week. A huge fight-back win against Georgia on Thursday night, and this was more of a controlled, possession-type game with back and forth action. It was just a really professional, disciplined performance from the players, and they executed the game plan really well. I am just excited for them to get another victory."

LSU was led tonight by goalkeeper Mollie Swift and forward Sage Glover, who each recorded a goal on the night. Mollie Baker and Kelsey Major each recorded an assist for the Tigers. Swift recorded her second goal of the season with her penalty kick and Glover recorded her fourth of the season. Swift and Glover are tied for the team lead in goals scored in SEC play with two each. Swift added two saves on the night to go with her equalizing penalty kick.

The first half was tightly contested as neither team could find the advantage. The Tigers took seven shots compared to the Bulldogs 5 and led the possession battle by 59%. The opening half ended 0-0 as neither side could find any major breakthrough.

The game opened up in the second half when Mississippi State's Ilana Izqueirdo opened the contest's scoring with an excellent strike from just outside the box in the 57th minute. Izquierdo's goal was made possible via an assist from State's Hannah Johnson.

The Tigers equalized just six minutes later from a Mollee Swift penalty kick. The Bulldogs committed a handball penalty in the box during a LSU attack that resulted in the opportunity for the Tigers to tie the score. Swift made no mistake from the spot as she rifled the ball past Mississippi State's Maddy Anderson.

In the 71st minute, LSU carried their momentum from the penalty kick and once again found the back of the net, this time via Sage Glover. The Tigers used excellent counter attacking play to quickly move the ball down the field. Mollie Baker carried the ball into the attacking third and found Kelsey Major. Major took the ball all the way to the Bulldog box and played a precise ground pass to Glover, and Glover knocked the ball in near the left post past Anderson to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead.

Kelsey Major almost had a goal in the 87th minute, but her close range header was denied by the Bulldogs' Anderson.

Glover led the Tigers in shots on goal with two. Baker and Ava Galligan each recorded a shot on net as well. LSU finished the match with 15 shots, eight of them being on target, and owned the possession battle by 58% over Mississippi State's 42%.

The Tigers will return to action on Friday, September 29th against the Florida Gators at the LSU Soccer Stadium. The match will begin at 6 p.m. and will be live streamed on SEC Network+. Live stats will be available on lsusports.net.